Apparatus for treating water.



E. HIXON & E. S. PARKER. APPARATUS FOR TREATING WATER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1912.

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E. HIXON 8x B. S. PARKER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING WATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..18, 1912.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATING WATER.

APPLICATION FILED MARJB, 1912.

1,077,406, Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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COLU|\\BL A PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASH1NGTON, n. c,

EDWARD HIXON AND EDWY S. PARKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING WATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed March 18, 1912. Serial No; 684,621.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, EDWARD HIXoN and EDWY S. PARKER, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Water, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for treating water, and more specifically to apparatus adapted for use in softening water in order to adapt the same for use in laundries for washing clothes.

The object of our invention is the production of an apparatus of the character mentioned, which will be of improved construc tion and efficient in operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

WVith these objects in View, our invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Our invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a substantially central vertical section of an apparatus embodying our invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on substantially line 00 w of Fig. 1, Fi 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 is a section taken on substantially line 1 3/ of Fig. l.

The preferred form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a primary tank or reservoir 1 which is open at its upper side and mounted upon a suitable base 1. Mounted above the tank 1 is a supplemental tank 2 substantially rectangular in form and open at its upper side, adapted to contain the softening fluid, that is the fluid which is introduced into the water to effect the softening thereof, a solution of caustic soda being preferably used in this connection.

Mounted upon one side of the supplemental tank 2 is the circular housing 3 of a water wheel 4, 5 indicating the shaft of the latter. A water supply pipe 6 communicates with the upper side of the housing 3, the arrangement being such that the introduction of water from the pipe 6 to the housing 3 will effect rotation of said water wheel for a purpose hereinafter described. The flow of water through the pipe 6 may be manually governed by a manually operable valve 7. Automatic governing of the flow of water through the pipe 6 is secured by means of a valve 8 the stem of which is connected with a rocker arm 9, the arrangement being such that opening and closing of said valve will be effected by rocking of said arm 9 in the manner hereinafter described.

The dlscharge openlng 3 of the water wheel housing 3 co-mmunlcates wlth the upper end of an inclined trough 10 in theeating with the lower end of the cylinder 12 1s a steam pipe 14. The arrangement is such that, in the operation of the apparatus, the steam exhausting from the'pipe 14 will pass upwardly through the perforations in plates 13 so as to efiect the heating of the water which passes downwardly through said plates for introduction into the tank 1. With this arrangement a thorough utilization of the steam is secured as well as an effective heating of the water preparatory to its introduction into the primary tank. The pipe 1 1 also passes through an enlargement 15 in the water supply pipe 6 so that the water, in passing through the portion 15, will be heated through contact with said steam pipe.

Carried by the shaft 5 of the water wheel is a plurality of radially disposed arms 16. Pivotally mounted at the outer ends of opposing arms 16 are buckets l7, counterbalance weights 17 being mounted at the outer extremities of the remainder of the arms 16. The arrangement is such that, upon rotation of the water wheel as is caused by the introduction of water from the pipe 6 to the housing 8, the arms 16 will be rotated so as to dip the buckets 17 into the solution contained in the supplemental tank 2. Said buckets are carried upwardly and contact with a rod 18 which projects from the housing 3 into the path of said buckets, said rod effecting the dumping of the latter, the contents of said buckets, upon the tilting or dumping of the latter, being discharged into the open upper end of a pipe 19 which discharges at its lower end. into the upper end of the trough 10, as clearly shown in the several views. With this arrangement then it will be seen that the supply of the softening fluid to the trough 10 is governed directly by the operation of the water wheel, the latter in turn being governed by the supply of water from the pipe 6, and so that the quantity of softening fluid which is introduced into the water will be directly proportional to the amount of water which is supplied to the primary tank. The provision of the agitating bars 11 upon the bottom of the trough 10 serves as a means of thoroughly mingling the softening fluid with the water in the flow of the latter toward the primary tank.

Arranged adjacentthe tank 1 is a secondary tank 20 which communicates adjacent its upper end with the outlet pipe 21 of said primary tank, said outlet pipe leading from said secondary tank close to the upper end thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The steam pipe 14 passes through the tank 20 in order to again heat the water before the same passes therefrom for utilization, as hereinafter described. Arranged in the tank l is a partition 22 by reason of which the water inpassing through said tank will be required first to pass downwardly under said partition before the same is permitted to pass out through the pipe 21. The lower end of the tank 20 communicates through a pipe 23 with the lower end of a filtering device 24, the discharge opening of said filtering device being at the upper end thereof.

Communicating with the lower end of the tank 1 is a drain pipe 26 and communicating with the lower end of the filtering device 24 is a drain pipe 27, said pipes 26 and 27 being connected with a common drain pipe 28. Interposed in the pipes 26 and 27 are suitable stop cocks 26 and 27, respectively.

Connected with one end of the bar 9 of the valve 8 is a float 29 which is mounted for vertical movement in a cylinder 30 arranged at the upper end of the tank 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Provided in the bottom of the tank 30 is a drain opening 31 which is controlled by a valve 32 carried by the stem 33 of a float 34, said stem being fulcrumed at The arrangement is such that, when the float 29 is at its'lower terminal of movement, the valve 8 will be open to permit of the flow of water through the pipe 6, and when said float is elevated the arm 9 will be rocked in order to close said valve. The valve 32 is so arranged that during operation of the apparatus, when the tank 1 is completely filled, the float 34 will force said valve upwardly to close the opening 31. Upon the level of the liquid in the tank falling below the operative level of the float 34, the valve 32 will be lowered and the opening 31 consequently opened to permit of the discharge or the draining of the liquid from the cylinder 30, this draining from the latter effecting'the opening of the valve 8 and hence the replenishing of the supply of water to the tank 1, as will be readily understood. The valve 8 will remain open until the tank is completely filled, since, upon the level of the liquid passing above the operative level of the float 34, the latter will be raised to close the opening 31, water not being supplied to the cylinder 30 to eifectthe elevation of the float 29, un-

til the level of the water in the tank passes above the upper end of said cylinder. Thus the supply of water to the primary tank is automatically governed to maintain the level of the water in said tank at a certain height.

Extending from the lower end of the secondary tank 20 is a pipe 36 which communicates with a centrifugal pump 37 which is driven through the medium of a belt 35. This pump is adapted to effect the forcing of the water through the pipe 36 which discharges at its upper end into the upper end of cylinder 12. ljnterposed in the pipe 36 is a valve 39 the stem 40 of which is connected with one extremity of the bar 9. The arrangement is such that the valve 39 will be opened by the bar 9 when said bar effects the closing of the valve 8, and vice versa. This being so, it will be seen that during the operation of the device, when the supply of water to the primary tank is stopped, a circulation of the water from the primary tank through the secondary tank 20 and the pipe 36 will take place in order that the water in the primary tank be maintained in a heated condition to further accelerate the action of the chemical, the same being more readily soluble, when mixed or treated with heated water, the water, during this circulation,

being heated by the pipe 14 in the tank 20 and by the exhausting steam in the cylinder 12.

In the operation of the apparatus, the introduction of the softening fluid such as caustic soda into the water causes the formation of a precipitate in the latter. The greater portion of this precipitate settles in the bottom of the tank 1 where it may be drawn therefrom through the drain pipe 26. y the tank 1 to flow downwardly therethrough,

the depositing of the precipitate in the bot tom of the tank is facilitated, and so that the water which is discharged from said tank adjacent the upper end thereof will be comparatively clear. That precipitate which does not settle in the tank 1 is removed from the water in the filter 24, and so that the water which is discharged from the apparatus will be completely clarified.

While we have illustrated and described causing the water in passing through the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A device of the kind described comprising a reservoir; a mixing chamber in the upper portion of said reservoir in communication therewith; a solution tank; a source of water supply; means for taking solution from said solution tank and water from said source of water supply and emptying them in said mixing chamber; a source of steam supply in communication with said mixing chamber supplying steam therewith to facilitate the mixing of the water and solution in said mixing chamber; and means for taking mixed water and solution from said reservoir and repassing it through said mixing chamber, substantially as described.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a reservoir; a partition in said reservoir extending nearly to the bottom thereof; an exhaust port in one part of said reservoir; a mixing chamber in communication with the other part of said reservoir; and means for passing the fluids contained in said reservoir through one part thereof; under said partition, throughthe other part of said reservoir, through said exhaust port and emptying them in said mixing chamber to reenter such reservoir, substantially as described.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a reservoir; a partition in said reservoir extending nearly to the bottom thereof; an exhaust port in one part of said reservoir; a mixing chamber in communication with the other part of said reservoir; a communica tion between said exhaust port and the top of said mixing chamber; a pump in the communication between said exhaust port and said mixing chamber for producing a circulation of the fluids contained in said reservoir through one part of said reservoir, under said partition, the other part of said reservoir, said exhaust port, and through such communication into said mixing chamber and thence into the reservoir again; and means for limiting such circulation of the liquid contained in said reservoir, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWVARD HIXON. EDWY S. PARKER.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA R. H. Por'rs, BRAYTON G. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

